Devices for applying sealing bands to articles



March 28, 196.1 A. H. BAGNELLE 2,976,651

DEVICES FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS TO ARTICLES Filed Aug. 11, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ARTHUR HARM) BaA/QQE BY i ATTORNEY March 28,1961 A. H. BAGNELLE 2,975,661

DEVICES FOR APPLYING SEALING BANDS T0 ARTICLES Filed Aug. 11, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 2 FIIG.4. ,FIG.5.

FIGS.

INVENTOR ARTHUR HARQLD SAGA/644$ wwamw ATTORNEY DEVICES FOR APPLYINGSEALING BANDS TO ARTICLES Arthur Harold Bagnelle, Waltham Cross,England, assignor to Albro Fillers & Engineering Company Limited,Ponders End, England, a British company Filed Aug. 11, 1958, Ser. No.754,465 Claims priority, application Great Britain Aug. 16, 1957 4Claims. (Cl. 53.292)

This invention relates to devices for applying sealing bands or rings ofregenerated cellulose or other suitable material or for applyingcapsules to bottles or other articles.

According to the present invention there is provided a device forapplying sealing bands, rings, capsules or like members to bottles orother articles comprising a former over which can be arranged a memberto be fitted to an article the said former having ports through whichsuction can be applied to hold the inside of the said member in contactwith the former and through which air under pressure can be applied torelease the said member from the former, and an applicator head in whichthe former and the article can be positioned in succession, the saidhead having ports through which suction can be applied to hold the saidmember in contact with the head and through which air under pressure canbe supplied to release the said member from the article.

It is well known to seal bottles by means of continuous bands ofregenerated cellulose which are fitted tightly over the necks of thebottles and over part of the tops of the bottle stoppers or otherclosures. In one device for fitting such bands to bottles, the rings aresupplied from a magazine in a moist and flat or collapsed condition andare then opened to form an open tube which is placed over the neck ofthe bottle and allowed to shrink tightly on the neck. The band can be sopositioned around the bottle that it extends slightly proud of the topof the neck and will therefore extend over part of the top of the bottleclosure on shrinkage.

With a view to providing an improved device for fitting sealing bands tothe necks of bottles or other articles the present invention accordinglyalso-provides a device comprising a former over which a partly openedcontinuous band can be fitted, the said former having ports throughwhich suction can be applied to hold the inside of the band in contactwith the former and through which air under pressure .can be supplied toexpand the band out of contact with the surface of the former, and anapplicator head in which the former and the article to which the band isto be appliedcan be positioned in succession, the said head having portsthrough which suction can be applied to draw the band into contact withthe head and through which air under pressure can be supplied to closethe band around the article.

The accompanying drawings are diagrams illustrating six stages in theapplication of a sealing band to a bottle with a device according to apreferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in the drawings, adevice for the application of sealing bands 1 to bottles 2 or otherarticles comprising a magazine 3 from which continuous bands or rings ofregenerated cellulose or other material having similar characteristicscan be delivered in a moist and partly open condition to a former 4. Theformer 4 has a generally cylindrical shape, but has a pointed portion 5at one end and if desired has two flats on opposite sides. This former 4is movable so .:that its pointed end 5 can enter a partly open band 1cylindrical portion of the former 4 after which the;

former can move away from the magazine and into an applicator head 6(Figure 2). The cylindrical portion of the former 4 has a number ofports 7 which can be connected to a suitable source 8 of negativepressure so that suction can act through the ports 7 on the inside ofthe band 1 and hold it in contact with the former 4.

The applicator head 6 is of generally cylindrical construction with openends and can receive the former 4 with the sealing band 1 fittedthereon. When the former 4 has moved into position in the head 6 shownin Figure 2, the supply of suction to the ports 7 in the former isautomatically cut off by any suitable valve mechanism and air underpositive pressure from a source 9 is applied through the same ports 7,or if desired a second, set of ports in the former, to expand the bandout of contact with the cylindrical wall of the former. The inside wallof the applicator head 6 is provided with ports 10 through which suctioncan be applied to draw the expanded band 1 on to the wall and hold itthereon as shown in Figure 3. The former 4 is then withdrawn from thehead and the neck of the bottle2 to be sealed is moved into the head 6on a suitable carrier 11 (Fig- 4); alternatively the head 6 can be movedover the bottle.

The supply of suction to the ports 10 in the applicator head 6 is thenautomatically cut off and replaced by the supply of air under pressureto the same or additional ports in the inside wall'of the head therebyto close the band 1 around the neck of the bottle 2 (Figure 5). The bandwill shrink on drying to fit closely against the neck, the air blown onto the band from the head assisting the drying.- g

The shapes of the former and head can be modified to enable the deviceto be used for the application of sealing bands to articles which do nothave a circular cross-section.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described for applying sealing bands,rings, capsules or like tubular devices to bottles or other articles,comprising a head member including a substantially cylindrical innerface having inwardly directed first ports formed therein, a formermember provided with a substantially cylindrical side face havingoutwardly directed second ports formed therein, said former member beingmovable between a telescopic registering position within said headmember and a position external of said head member and adapted to engageone of said tubular devices in a former member embracing position, meansconnecting some of said second ports to a source of. negative pressurewhile said former member is out of registry with said head member todraw said tubular device carried thereby into snug embracement therewithand connecting some of said second ports to a source of positivepressure when said tubular device carrying former member is in its fullhead member registering position, and connecting some of'said firstports to a source of negative pressure upon the full registry of saidtubular device carrying former member with said head member whereby toeffect the radial expansion of said tubular device and its transfer fromsaid former'member to said head member, and connecting some of saidfirst ports to a source of positive pressure upon the retraction of saidformer member from said head member and the insertion of said articletherein 2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said headmember inner face and said former member Patented Mar. 28,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS StroutMar. 31, 1936 Alien Jan. 24, 1956 Carter Nov. 27, 1956 Edclisonet a1Dec. 10, 1957

